Lilith looked at Esdeath strangely. "Why would you think that?"
"Other than that, I can't think of any reason you would let him go."
"...No. The reason I let him go was Incursio."
"Incursio? If I remember correctly, it's a powerful armor-type Teigu, isn't it?"
Esdeath recalled the information on Incursio, but she could not think of anything about it worth paying attention to.
"Incursio has an extremely fatal flaw. I feel that kid will cause Incursio to undergo a very interesting change."
Lilith looked at Esdeath.
"A change that won't disappoint you."
"Won't disappoint me?" Esdeath was intrigued. "Since you say so, then I'll look forward to it."
This time, after killing a member of Night Raid, Esdeath's prestige became even greater.
Although the people Night Raid had always assassinated were "evil men" or "corrupt officials," ordinary citizens did not know that. They only thought Night Raid were thieves disrupting the order of the Imperial Capital.
The happiest were naturally the officials dependent on Ozneth. Esdeath had killed a Night Raid member as soon as she arrived, and her immense strength gave them a little peace of mind.
Now, they could finally sleep soundly.
Among them, the one who gained the most was undoubtedly Ozneth.
Not only had he killed off several hostile civil officials and filled their vacant positions with his own people, but Night Raid, which had threatened him, was no longer a threat.
Ozneth happily ate two extra large chunks of meat.
Yet during the three days Bulat's corpse hung in the square, nothing unexpected happened.
Night Raid became extremely well-behaved, showing no sign of operating within the Imperial Capital again.
This caused Esdeath's plan to use Bulat's corpse to lure out Night Raid's members to fail.
"How boring."
Feeling bored, Esdeath was considering how to pass the time—or whether she should take the initiative, find Night Raid's nest, and conduct a hunt.
At that moment, Ozneth came to see her.
Generally speaking, Ozneth would not seek Esdeath out without reason. After all, they were not that close.
"Minister Honest, what do you need from me?"
"My, General Esdeath, aren't you too cold? Can't I come see you even if there's nothing wrong?"
Esdeath looked at him coldly and did not answer.
"Fine." Ozneth helplessly tore into the meat on the plate he held in his hand and sighed. "Although the general's subordinates killed one member of Night Raid, Night Raid's losses were not great. Most importantly, they did not lose a single Teigu."
"So?"
"Cough, cough... I know Night Raid is well-hidden and difficult to find, but His Majesty has been unable to sleep at night because of Night Raid's existence."
Esdeath gave a soft laugh. "I think it's you who can't sleep at night because of Night Raid."
"Cough, cough..." Ozneth was slightly embarrassed. "The key issue is that the war at the front lines is urgent. Another city has been breached."
Esdeath still said nothing. It was only one city; when had Ozneth ever cared about such a trivial matter?
"Cough, cough... The key is that the next city those rebels intend to attack belongs to one of my important subordinates."
Hearing this, Esdeath understood.
Clearly, that city was very important to Ozneth. It was presumably a major source of tribute money for him, so he could not bear to see anything happen to it.
"If possible, I would like to ask the general to kill those Night Raid thieves as soon as possible, then head to the front lines. If the general has any requests, I will do my best to fulfill them."
"The front lines?" Esdeath revealed a bloodthirsty smile. "I care more about those Rebel Army forces than you do, but as you said, Night Raid is hidden rather deeply."
"So?"
"So, I need a Teigu user skilled in searching. After all, none of my subordinates possess that ability."
"...That can be arranged."
Ozneth frowned. After thinking briefly, there seemed to be no Teigu user of that sort in the Imperial Capital.
However, he had already made a boast. Even if there was no one, he would have to find one.
Watching Ozneth leave, Lilith considered the information he had just revealed.
"I didn't expect those rebels to have grown to this extent already."
Having captured several cities in succession, the Rebel Army had already grown tremendously in scale.
"But it's still not enough!"
A Rebel Army at this level could at most make her heart beat faster; it was still far from enough to excite her.
If she acted now, the Rebel Army that had only just developed would likely be sent back to the stage when it had first been organized, when it consisted of merely a few farmers. It might even disappear altogether.
That was unacceptable to Esdeath.
She needed the Rebel Army to grow stronger. Otherwise, the slaughter would end just as it began, which would be immensely disappointing.
She needed a truly exhilarating slaughter!
As for what Ozneth had said about going to the front lines, Esdeath had merely been humoring him.
Ozneth believed he understood Esdeath very well, but he still underestimated the desire for slaughter within her heart.
However, Esdeath had not lied to Ozneth about one thing: she truly did need a Teigu user skilled in searching and tracking.
Although she herself had a decent ability to track traces, there was still a great difference compared to a Teigu user specializing in that field.
Two days later, Lilith discovered that Esdeath had two strange people following behind her.
The reason they were strange was that one wore glasses and a white lab coat, with a lock of white hair at his left temple. At a glance, he gave off the feeling of a mad scientist.
And in fact, he truly was a mad scientist obsessed with human modification.
The other was a maiden whose arms had been transformed into mechanical arms. She held a dog leash, the other end of which was tied to a white dog.
Seeing this familiar scene, Lilith immediately thought of two names.
Dr. Stylish and Seryu Ubiquitous.
The maiden's name was an ordinary female name, but from Lilith's perspective, the other person's name looked strange no matter how she viewed it.
"These two will be our companions from now on. The man is called Dr. Stylish, and the woman is called Seryu Ubiquitous." Esdeath then introduced Lilith to them.
"The other three haven't arrived yet. This is Lilith. When I'm not around, you will listen to her."
Dr. Stylish bowed politely. "Lady Lilith, it is a pleasure to meet you. I already know about what happened at the canal. Your beauty and strength are both utterly captivating."
Before you continue